I saw Chapin a couple of times during his benefit concert appearances in the mid-1970's. He toured without his band when doing so, and would ask for a volunteer, either a baritone or a soprano - I guess because both had the same number of syllables for the purposes of the opening line of the song - who was familiar with "Mr. Tanner" to come to the stage and sing along on the chorus. The first year I attended, a shy university student raised his hand eventually, and joined Harry on the stage. After a couple of run-through's of the refrain - regular tempo and then slower for the finale - they performed together. The volunteer's voice was better than average. And though the performance may not have been flawless, it couldn't have been more perfect.
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I saw Chapin a couple of times during his benefit concert appearances in the mid-1970's. He toured without his band when doing so, and would ask for a volunteer, either a baritone or a soprano - I guess because both had the same number of syllables for the purposes of the opening line of the song - who was familiar with "Mr. Tanner" to come to the stage and sing along on the chorus.
The first year I attended, a shy university student raised his hand eventually, and joined Harry on the stage. After a couple of run-through's of the refrain - regular tempo and then slower for the finale - they performed together. The volunteer's voice was better than average. And though the performance may not have been flawless, it couldn't have been more perfect.
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